American furniture designer Dakota Jackson will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at AD 20/21: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries, which takes place at The Boston Center for The Arts from April 8-11.
For four decades, Dakota Jackson has been a leading figure in American furniture design. Since his emergence in the early 1970s as a major contributor to the Art Furniture movement, each of his seminal designs has been a combination of exquisite craft and original form. Jackson’s belief that innovative design requires innovative technology and that manufacturing limitations must not compromise ideas has led to an unwavering 40-year commitment to in-house manufacturing.
In the first years of his career, Dakota Jackson’s designs were represented by the groundbreaking art furniture gallery Art and Industrie, and in 1980 by Marian Goodman’s Multiples Gallery. Early patrons and collectors included John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Diane von Furstenberg, Sydney and Francis Lewis, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels to name just a few. His furniture can be found in the collections of the world’s leading museums, including The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, New York’s Museum of Art and Design, The Chicago Athenaeum, and The London Design Museum. A strong proponent of design education, Jackson’s in-house internship programs, seminars, lectures and master classes have been valuable resources to numerous young designers over the decades.
"We are absolutely thrilled to have Dakota come to Boston to accept this Lifetime Achievement Award and present a program at the show," comments Tony Fusco. "Boston Architectural College's tremendous networks means the show is packed with interior designers, architects, art collectors, design enthusiasts, and others who will appreciate a chance to meet Dakota and hear him share his experiences in the world of design over the past forty years."
In its second year, AD 20/21 features 20th and 21st century works in all disciplines, representing major movements such as Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, and Mid-Century Modern, as well as 21st century studio furniture, glass, ceramics, decorative arts, jewelry and photography. Two pavilions are dedicated to the 11th Annual Boston Print Fair, which offers fine prints, photography, drawings and other works on paper.
The AD 20/21 benefits Boston Architectural College (BAC), New England's largest independent, accredited college of spatial design. Last year's benefit gala opening raised over $100,000 for the BAC.
